ORDINARY MIND IS THE WAY

Gateless Gate, Case 19  

Chao-chou asked Nan-ch’uan, “What is the Tao?”

Nan-ch’uan said, “Ordinary mind is the Tao.”

Chao-chou said, “Should I direct myself toward it, or not?”

Nan-ch’uan said, “If you try to direct yourself, then you deviate.”

                                   

Chao-chou asked, “How can I know the Tao if I don’t direct myself?”

Nan-ch’uan said, “The Tao is not subject to knowing or not knowing.  Knowing is delusion; not knowing is blankness.  If you truly reach the genuine Tao, you will find it is as vast and boundless as outer space.  How can this be discussed at the level of affirmation and negation?”

With these words, Chao-chou had sudden realisation.

 WU-MEN’S COMMENT:

Questioned by Chao-chou, Nan-ch’uan lost no time in showing the smashed tile and the melted ice, where no explanation is possible.  Though Chao-chou had realisation, he could confirm it only after another thirty years of practice.

WU-MEN’S VERSE:

Spring comes with flowers, autumn with the moon,

summer with breeze, winter with snow.

When idle concerns don’t hang in your mind,

that is your best season.

-Honolulu Diamond Sangha